A Letter of Love to Your Baby

You are doing a wonderful job of becoming a mother. I know right now you are feeling lost, overwhelmed and unsure. The confidence you had in being successful as a woman has not carried over into motherhood. Be kind to yourself. You are not the same as you were before. The day you birthed your baby you also birthed a mother. Would you like to begin to feel as successful in your role as mother as you did as woman? Then keep reading because I am going to introduce you to the world of soul-centred journaling.

This is not about keeping a detailed record of your day or recording every emotion.

It is about treating yourself to some really beautiful and inspiring stationary.

Did you love buying new pens or notebooks during your childhood?

Maybe you are like me and still get pleasure from new stationary and just need an excuse. Well now you have one. Go on treat yourself, you deserve it.

Now you have your stationary it is time to put aside your misconceptions of journaling. You aren't going to be writing whimsical memories. You are improving your health physically, emotionally and mentally. I can hear you saying finding the time to journal is just not going to happen as a new mum. I say to align yourself with your unique version of motherhood you can't afford not to.

Self-love is an important part of rediscovering your identity in this new role. As a soul-centred woman by becoming empowered in motherhood you will love motherhood as much as you love your baby. You will become aligned with your unique identity as a mother and reconnect to the aspects of yourself that are core to who you are. Self-love is important and should be a priority in your life especially as a new mum. After all you can't give if your cup is empty. Finding 5 to 15 minutes in your day is wonderful, I find 5 minutes every morning enjoying a coffee before my son wakes helps me face the day from a place of soul-centeredness. Before bed is a really good time too; but whatever time you decide needs to work for you like my early morning peaceful moment of pause. Soul-centred journaling is going to get you into the best place to be able to start to find your authentic motherhood. How? Let's take a look.

My Top Four Reasons All Mums Should Journal

Reduces Stress

Being a new mum can be stressful right? To enjoy your new experience you want to feel less stress. Journaling is a hidden in plain sight stress management tool. The health benefits of reducing stress are both physical and mental. Your mood is lifted, your blood pressure is lowered and your emotional responses become easier to regulate. This is great news because you have enough emotional waves to deal with due to fluctuating and changing hormones. Reducing your stress means you can bring to your baby the best version of yourself.

Clears Your Mind

How many thoughts and feelings are running through your head right now? It has suddenly got a lot noisier in there since becoming a mum. You have your 101 things going on. What you want to do with baby. What you are doing with baby at this moment in their development. What you did do with baby and replying, over analysing and getting stuck in a circle of was I good enough or did I do the right thing. We haven't even started on the thoughts going on about you as a successful woman and how you are translating that into motherhood and how you feel like you as self has shattered into a million pieces. What about your business or career and the plans you are making? The actions you are taking and balancing it all. Letting all this flow out in your journaling makes room for clear thought and leads to personal growth.

Personal Growth

Journaling allows you to record your transition from woman to mother in a way that lets you express, explore and evaluate. It's a place of no judgement. You can brain dump all your worries, fears, uncertainties alongside the wins and joy of motherhood. You will see clear patterns forming. It will allow you to see clearly what serves you, what works for you and what brings you to your authentic version of motherhood. You can begin to see what you really want in your unique and authentic version of motherhood. You will see you still have an identity it just morphed when you went from one part of your journey to the next; when you as woman ceased and in its place mother was birthed. You will set goals, make commitments and be the awesome mum, woman and successful mumpreneur.

Cultivating Gratitude

Finding gratitude in your life as a new mum is a game changer. You can come from anything and everything in a state of positivity and joy if you can find a place of gratitude within it. Struggling with your loss of woman becomes easier as you see the gratitude and become thankful for your improved upon version of woman - mother. You can tackle the broken sleep by being grateful that you can meet your baby’s needs. Every piece of being a mother becomes lighter and easier through gratitude. Being grateful allows you to see all that is good right now and all the amazing achievements you are making as mum.

When you journal you're giving yourself a voice, allowing yourself to be heard...while listening.

Denise Beaulieu

Connect to Your Soul Through Journaling

Write, don't type but put pen or pencil to notebook. Why? Writing by hand has a soul to hand connection by connecting you to the words. It allows a flow of connection and focus upon the words that the more muscle memory of typing doesn't. It stimulates different areas of the brain than typing and activates a calming therapeutic feeling through the motion of writing.

Create a space to journal. It may be that you already have a sacred space you meditate in or a cosy chair you curl up into read. Either of these would be a great place to journal. Or perhaps you want to create a space. It could be you are able to create a permanent space where your pen and journal are kept surrounded by items of calm and love -crystals, candles, a plant, photo or artwork. It could be that you don't have space for a permanent area so you create an area when you write and instead have a favourite crystal you place by you and light a candle. It is what serves you and feels authentic to you and the process. Spend some time thinking about what space you want to journal in.

Connecting to your soul's voice, the inner knowledge of your self can be both empowering and terrifying. So before you start take three mindful breaths to centre into your self and calm the fear. If you already have a meditation or breathwork practice great use what you know works for you; if not here are the three mindful breaths I use with my clients. You will be breathing in through your nose for the count of 4, filling your abdomen then chest and expanding your shoulders, hold the breath for the count of 6 and exhale for the count of 8. On the first breath concentrate on the feeling of the air as it enters your nostrils, fills your lungs and then travels over your tongue and lips as you exhale. On the second breath feel the air as you inhale, centre down into your seated position connecting with the chair/floor/ground as you hold the breath and feel the breath as you exhale. On the third breath feel the air as you inhale, feel where you hold the breath in your body as you are holding the breath, exhale taking any stagnant energy with it.

Now begin to journal. If you are working from prompts write the prompt at the top of the page. Begin journaling. Don't question or edit what you are writing just let it flow out. A timer can help if you are limited for time or just beginning your journaling and mindfulness journey so as to stop yourself from feeling overwhelmed. Don't force the process if you just write a list of words that is what your soul is bringing to you that is ok.. It might be a poem or a sentence or a rambling of emotion. There is no right or wrong for journaling; connect to your soul and bring into being an empowered mumma!

Write A Letter of Love To Your Baby

Are you ready to find your authentic version of motherhood?

Let's break you in gently and start by writing a love letter to your baby.

Think about how you and your baby have got to know each other. Look at how your love for each other has grown in such a short time. How it grows day by day. As you spend times writing your love letter to your baby think of all the moments and feelings you want to treasure. Let your thoughts flow freely into your journal.

What do you want to share with your baby when they are older?

What do you want to tell your baby?

What softly whispered conversations do you share during the quiet, dark night feeds?

Let this be a letter of love. You can make a copy, seal it and keep it safe. What a wonderful gift to give your baby in the future as a coming of age present.

Love and Light

Nixie

Nixie is a Moon Cycle Specialist, Pagan Artist, Author and Eco-Warrior empowering spiritual mums to discover their true self.

She is a solo parent to a young son and knows how chaotic and overwhelming mum life can be.

She found the path back to herself when she began her journey to align with the moon's energy. By focusing on one significant change a month and small actions for each moon phase she began to step out of the shadow of overwhelm and into being the mum and woman she dreamt to be. Combining this with her passion and knowledge of journaling she has created a range of journals aligned with the moon and seasonal energies. Click here to find the first in the series Moon Gazing Empowerment Journal

On a soul-led mission to make an impact in the spiritual spaces, Nixie is passionate in her efforts to bring products and services specific to her spiritual mum clients. The world of a spiritual, soul-led mum can be a chaotic place, gentle nurturing and the right guidance is needed to bloom and thrive.